


Battery

by EvilMuffins



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pokemon Fusion, M/M, Yuletide 2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-05-08 08:08:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5489876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvilMuffins/pseuds/EvilMuffins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was generally accepted that, when one trainer makes eye-contact with another, they have a battle. So why, then, did Abe now find himself awkwardly holding onto this trainer’s sweaty hand instead?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Battery

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ideallyqualia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ideallyqualia/gifts).



It was generally accepted that, when one trainer makes eye-contact with another, they have a battle. So why, then, did Abe now find himself awkwardly holding onto this trainer’s sweaty hand instead?

* * *

He would have, _should have_ , been at the next gym by now, if it weren’t for the god-awful snow. It was as if a horde of the world’s biggest Swinubs had all used Blizzard at once in an incredible fit of wild-abandon.

The snow, however, failed to dampen the strange noise he heard. Was it a Pokémon in some sort of distress? Abe hesitated. He wasn’t very good with Pokémon. They were usually frightened of him, quickly running away.

Well, there was nothing for it; if he wanted to be able to catch more Pokémon than just his Snubbull, he’d have to keep to trying. Maybe if he could nurse it back to health, or cheer it up somehow, it would be willing to trust him.

So Abe continued onward into the snow-covered patch of bushes.

Rather than a Pokémon, however, Abe was surprised to find a boy who looked to be around his own age, sitting on a log, crying to himself. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. There _was_ in fact a Pokémon- a Togekiss as white as the snow, peeping fretfully at its distraught trainer.

Abe cleared his throat, unsure of how to best handle the situation.

The boy looked up in alarm,  his mouth forming something of a terrified little triangle, causing him to look almost comically similar to his Pokémon.

At least Abe had gotten him to stop crying? A step in the right direction already, he thought.

“Are you alright?” Abe asked. As much as he wanted to just go about his own business and get to the gym, he felt committed now that he had the boy’s attention.

The boy began to blubber about something. Abe had no clue what about, and the incessant peeping of the Togekiss had only grown more insistent.

“If you’re hurt, go to the nearest Pokémon Center. They can help people too, you know” he suggested sternly, only causing the other boy to shake and babble even more.

This was getting them nowhere.

Abe took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

“Give me your hand.” An old trick he had learned back during his middle school baseball days.

The boy hesitated, but complied. His hand was icy cold, the clamminess compounded by how much he was sweating despite the cold.

“How long have you been out here?” Abe asked.

“A…a little while.” The boy replied. Finally some words that made sense.

“Can you tell me _why_ you’re out here?” Abe was becoming genuinely curious at this point, in spite of himself.

The boy let out a sigh, seemingly becoming calmer as Abe held onto his hand, which he made no effort to pull free.

“I…I’m an underling the local gym, the one being ran by Leader Momoe…”

So the gym _was_ near-by, Abe thought to himself, idly rubbing his thumb over the boy’s palm. He must have practiced throwing Pokeballs hundreds of times to have such calluses. The hand was now beginning to warm, at least.

He continued, “It’s a Steel type gym, you know? Momokan, er, that’s what we call Leader Momoe, she even lets me use Togekiss since he knows Steel Wing. I really like it there…and everyone’s really nice.”

So far, to Abe, this was starting to sound like the opposite of something to cry over. “And?”

“Well, I used to belong to another gym, but…things got kind of messy there, and I thought it might be better if went back to my home town. …The thing is, my old friend from the other gym, Kanou-kun, is coming to challenge Momokan, but I think he hates me now… I’m afraid of seeing him again…”

Before Abe could respond, there came a rustling from the bushes, as another boy stepped out into the little clearing. “Mihashi, we were all worried about you, and then I heard you talking to someone… Is this guy bothering you?” he asked, eyeing Abe and Mihashi’s clasped hands.

“Sakaeguchi-kun,” Mihashi began to stutter again. “I, um…”

“I wasn’t bothering him,” Abe grumbled, dropping Mihashi’s hand. “He was telling me some kind of story…”

“I think your tone might be making Togekiss nervous. He’ll run away if he senses conflict,” Sakaeguchi warned.

Abe looked at the creature, with what it likely took to be a glare, and it fluttered off into the woods with a squeak.

And so, the three set out after it.

After walking for a time, Mihashi began glancing nervously in his direction now and then, until Abe could stand the silence no longer.

“So, what made you leave your old gym?”

“Well, um…my… my grandfather is the gym leader, so he made me his second, you know the trainer that the challenger faces right before the leader. Everyone thought that I only got the position through favoritism, and that Kanou was a way better trainer than me, but I wouldn’t give it up…not until the day I finally left altogether. They all hate me now…”

“If those jerks hate you over something like that, then you shouldn’t even be thinking about them,” Abe scolded.

“If you keep making Mihashi nervous, Togekiss won’t come back. Mihashi," Sakaeguchi turned his attention to the other boy, "I’m sure Kanou doesn’t really hate you, and Abe here is just trying to be friendly and help you.”

The group came upon someone standing amongst the trees. “Mihashi… is that you?”

It was dark-haired boy, Mihashi's Togekiss trailing close behind. “Mihashi, it is you! Then this Togekiss used to be your Togetic?” he looked at the creature with awe in his voice.

“K-kanou-kun!” Mihashi squawked, looking eerily like his Pokémon once again. Abe would almost dare to call it cute.

“Mihashi…” Kanou met his eye, his tone serious. “Battle me.”

“W-what? Now?” Mihashi had clearly not been expecting to battle his old friend until they were both inside the gym, as an official match.

Sensing his friend’s worry (which wasn’t difficult), Sakaeguchi suggested, “There’re four of us, so why don’t have a double battle? Kanou-kun, would that be alright with you? I could be on your team, and Abe-kun could fight alongside Mihashi. Is that acceptable to everyone?”

After quickly looking side to side between Kanou and Abe, who both nodded, Mihashi bobbed his head as well.

While Abe had been in a hurry to get to the gym, a little warm up never hurt. It might be handy to see what Mihashi and Sakaeguchi were made of, before he had to face them in the gym.

The four boys found a larger clearing, and squared off, Mihashi face to face with Kanou, and Abe against Sakaeguchi.

Mihashi’s Togekiss, who of course was already out, took its position, as Kanou let loose his Ghastly, while Abe’s Snubbull and Sakaeguchi’s Plusle went straight to work.

Abe observed Mihashi as the later gave orders to his Pokemon. His choice in moves to call were mediocre at best, yet he could tell from that way that Togekiss moved that Mihashi had trained it well. Abe had a sudden idea.

While his Snubbull was occupied creating a Fire Blast that melted the snow all around the clearing, Abe leaned in close to Mihashi, causing the other boy to tense.

"Mihashi, I'll concentrate on defense from now on, while you attack. I'll nod when you should use Steel Wing, and make a fist when it's time for Metronome," he muttered so so the opposing team couldn't hear.

Mihashi relaxed slightly after digesting the plan.

Abe and Mihashi’s teamwork from that point on was incredible. Besides Pokémon, Abe’s other area of interest while growing up had always been baseball; he’d even been part of middle school team before he left on his journey. They way he and Mihashi meshed, it was as if they were a baseball battery, he thought.

It was by a narrow margin, but Abe and Mihashi soon won. The look of joyful triumph in Mihashi's eyes when he glanced over to Abe made his heart skip a beat...or maybe it was just getting way too cold out there. Either way, Abe was suddenly somehow glad that he had stopped to help the other trainer.

After returning the fainted Ghastly to his Pokeball, Kanou came over to where Mihashi stood, offering a hand which Mihashi shakily took.

"Good game, Mihashi," he said, "I always knew you were the stronger trainer. The other guys never believed me, but I knew."

"Kanou-kun!" Mihashi squeaked, clearly moved.

"I look forward to challenging you again tomorrow, at the gym this time."

After Kanou and Sakaeguchi had set off for the Pokemon Center, Abe turned to Mihashi. He had always been a solo trainer, raising his Pokemon on his own, traveling on his own, battling on his own, but Mihashi had given him a taste of teamwork that proved irresistible.

"Mihashi, are there any openings for another trainer at Momokan's gym?"

 

_The end_


End file.
